Literary Analysis

David Mitchell uses personification, metaphors, and similies to convey the message that in order to come of age, one must come to terms with their imperfections. For example, when the narrator was passing rooms with in them who had disabilities, he said, "Well, my life may be a swamp of sh*t but at least I'm not in James Taylor's shoes. At least I can talk" (Mitchell 28). This quote of personification shows how the narrator is starting to come to terms with the fact that he has a speech impediment. Even though he is always going to be a little ashamed of the way he talks, he knows that he could have it worse. In addition, when the narrator was trying to talk in front of his class, he thought to himself, "the harder I forced the rest, the tighter the noose got" (Mitchell 26). This is an example of a metaphor, and it shows how at the beginning he was more ashamed of himself. He was ashamed that he wasn't able to get the words out, and then he just ended up saying a random answer since he could get out he right answer. David Mitchell uses personification, metaphors, and smilies to convey that in order to come of age, one must come to terms with their imperfections. 

"Shaving" by Leslie Norris

The short story "Shaving" by Leslie Norris has a deeper meaning and isn't just about shaving. In this short story, the main character, Barry is demonstrating how he is coming of age. His father is dying and he knows that he has to step up and do things that he might not normally do, such as shaving his dad's beard for him. The act of him shaving his dad shows how much he cares for his dad and how he would do anything for him. I think that since he knows that his dad is dying, he wants to help him as much as possible and he wants his dad to know how much he loves him. The fact that he took a long time to carefully clean all of his dad's shaving supplies shows how much respect that he has for his dad. He wants to make sure he shaves his dad's beard the best he possibly can because he knows how much it means to him. This short story has more to it then just shaving a beard, its about coming of age and being selfless to help someone else in need.

Coming of Age Ritual

The Sateré-Mawé Coming Of Age Tradition: Bullet Ant Initiation


When the boys in the Sateré-Mawé tribe turn 13, they have to go into the jungle and find bullet ants to use for the ceremony. The tribe leader then puts the ants into a herbal solution, which temporarily sedates them but then ends up making them very mad. The boys have to put on a glove with bullet ants in it, and they have to keep their hand in for 10 minutes. The pain is supposed to prepare the boys for life and "manhood". They have to wear this glove 20 times over the course of a few months and can't show any pain or weakness. If the boy can't keep the glove on without crying, then they won't be able to "become a man". The day they can wear it without showing weakness is when they "become a man". Although this ritual is nothing like anything we usually see happening around here, I do feel like there is somewhat of a connection. When boys reach a certain age it seems like its almost expected for them to be "manly" and tough, and thats what this ritual is demonstrating. 

Works Cited

"Getting Stung by Bullet Ants, a Painful Initiation Ritual | Oddity Central - Collecting Oddities." Oddity Central Collecting Oddities. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Sept. 2014.

"The World's Coolest Coming Of Age Traditions." All That Is Interesting. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Sept. 2014.

Exploring the Essential Question

Facing obstacles has a big role in shaping an individual's identity. For example, once we overcome a problem, we learn from our mistakes and apply it in the future. Our experiences help us to mature. Each time we fail, we learn something. This helps to make us more self-sufficient because now we know what to do in order to avoid another obstacle. If one never has to face any obstacles, then he will never know how to be independent. One can learn more about themselves by seeing how they react when under pressure.

Letter of Introduction

This summer I spent most of my time hanging out with my friends. At the beginning of the summer we all went to Maine together and then we did it again right before school started. There are five people in my family. I have a little brother named Ryan and an older sister named Megan. Last year school was okay for me, but I hope this year will be better. Last year I was apart of women’s choir and student counsel, and I’ll probably do those again this year. I usually spend most of my free time with my friends. They would probably describe me as being loud, helpful, and trustworthy. Some things that are important to me are my dogs, school, friends, and being happy. My goals in life are to go to a good college and maybe be a veterinarian. 

I learn best when I am comfortable in class, and I’m very motivated to do my best by my parents. My favorite assigned read was “The Help”. I liked this book because of how strong the characters were and how intriguing the book was. Outside of English my main strength is that I always try my best. My biggest weaknesses are test and quiz taking, because I always panic and get a brain block while taking them. I think that listening and participating are very important qualities of an effective discussion. I also think that these are very important qualities to have during class. Being easy to take to is an effective quality for a teacher to have.

My goals/hopes for English this year are to get a better grade then I did last year, and to participate more. These can be achieved by studying extra hard and by trying to raise my hand more when I know the answer. My strengths in English last year were probably the projects we did or some of the writing. The area I most need to improve in in English is reading more carefully. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of things this year. Some fears/anxieties/concerns I have about English at this time is keeping up with my organization and being a more active member of the class.


Something that you should know about me to help me grow and learn this year is that sometimes it takes me a few times to understand things well. There are also times where I’ll need an assignment to be further explained to me to really get it, but if so I’ll be sure to come in and talk to you. A random fact about me is that I have pet dogs, chickens, and ducks.